R.-1 21-0013 Public Hearing by the Board of Education on Aspire Public Schools - Aspire ERES Academy - Material Revision - Request to Raise Enrollment Cap from 250 to 550, for Grades TK-8 - July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2024 - pursuant to Education Code Section 47605.
As a parent at ERES, ERES Academy has changed both my life and my child's life for the better. I'm so grateful to have found ERES and for these years which have been surrounded by amazing staff members and a very welcoming community. This is why I am in full support of ERES staying open. Not only will ERES be able to support more Fruitvale families and teach students, me and my child can continue to be apart of such a high quality school.
I am a teacher at ERES Academy. Our students, families, and teachers deserve a facility that will allow us to grow and sustain long-term. We provide a high quality education to students and have had a tremendous impact on our community. Even during this pandemic, students continue to be supported academically and socio-emotionally, and are happy to log into class every single day. School closure is a disservice to our students and an inequitable outcome for hundreds of Oakland families.
Hola soy Maria abadio soy Madre de una alumna de 3 grado, tengo 3 años en Eres y estoy muy enojada por la injusticia que están haciendo con nuestra escuela, cuando Eres a demostrado ser una escuela de alta calidad y de un nivel de educación muy alto, es triste ver lo que estamos pasando con la pandemia y lo más frustrante es ver como nos sierran las puertas como que nada pasara, como madre!! siento como cuando se, que me dan su palabra para recibir apoyo, y derrepente me dan la espalda, así siento que ousd hizo con Eres, Eres merece seguir creciendo y seguir sirviendo a una comunidad más grande, como lo ha estado haciendo. Nose porque nos sierras las puertas, cuando Eres a demostrado ser una excelente escuela de alta calidad, y apesar de la pandemia, eres se adapto rápidamente con el aprendizaje virtual, es una verdadera injusticia lo que están haciendo. ¿Cual será la próxima escuela? Vasta ya!! Hasta donde más quieren llegar con las escuelas charter.!!!
Aspire ERES has developed a vibrant and thriving community of scholars and teammates, supported by their families and the community. OUSD has the ability to do the right thing for this community by allowing the school to grow and thrive, continuing to champion high-quality education for these scholars at the school they call home.
ALL children deserve a high-quality and safe space to learn and attain equitable access and opportunity. Aspire ERES deserves to continue to provide an education for students in Oakland. Now, more than ever, underserved and marginalized communities should be provided the support and access to high-quality education and resources - which is exactly what Aspire ERES provides to their students and families. Approve the material revision request to support these current and future students within the Fruitvale community.
On behalf of the California Charter Schools Association, I write in support of Aspire ERES' request to expand their enrollment. ERES has been a high-quality high-demand option for Fruitvale families for over 10 years, and they request here only the ability to deliver their quality program to enough more students to be financially sustainable in a safe and reliable facility. Denying this request will result in closing this school, a move that hurts families already suffering during this challenging time. I strongly urge the OUSD to approve this Material Revision.
I am 100% in support of Aspire ERES. Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. Students deserve safe places to learn and families deserve access to high-quality school options in their communities. Students of color who live in the most poor neighborhoods should not be doscriminated against by closing schools that provide high quality education.
I am in my 4th year as the Mental Health Counselor at ERES. Our students, the vast majority of whom are ELLs from low-income households, are THRIVING: Joyful learners and creative thinkers who will grow up to be empowered, productive members of society. Our teachers and parents are committed partners in providing the best quality education for every ERES scholar. Why would you take this away from them? They are succeeding against so many odds because of this great school and the teacher/parent partnership it encourages. How does the school board reconcile wanting to create a more equitable educational system with closing down a highly functioning school that is doing great work with a marginalized population? How would you explain this to a 3rd grader? I think that right now their only way of understanding it is that some grown-ups don't really care about them. What a message to give such promising young people. Please stand up for our students and our community and save ERES.
ALL Oakland kids deserve a safe place to learn. And ALL Oakland families deserve access to high-quality school options in every neighborhood in Oakland. The families and scholars at Aspire ERES Academy are no exception. We must stop putting politics ahead of kids. OUSD has the power and authority to do what is RIGHT for Oakland kids -- approve the material revision to allow Aspire ERES to continue serving the Fruitvale community.
ERES Academy has been a beacon of hope in the Fruitvale community, providing a high-quality education option for families. The school should be celebrated for its achievements in closing the achievement gaps, and allowed to grow and serve more students. Why oppose the growth of a school that is serving its students well? Why build barriers for families to access a high-quality school in their community? We should be creating bridges that secure pathways to success for our Oakland students. My daughter, currently a high school senior, graduated from ERES Academy and we will be forever grateful for the supports she received. In her college applications, she expressed how ERES taught her the meaning of community and enlightened her passion for social justice. ERES provided the foundation and preparation that allowed her to excel in all her high school courses, making her journey to college a reality. Help make this be a reality for many more Oakland students by supporting ERES.
My name is Elizabeth Blevins and I am the Special Ed Director and work with the ERES community to ensure the site has the structures to support ALL special ed students. We have an incredibly diverse group of learners there, including those with high needs. I see ERES staff supporting high needs students with IEPs, including them meaningfully in their classrooms and ensuring that they grow and progress. ERES is a high quality school serving the Fruitvale neighborhood and deserves to be able to stay open and serve Oakland's students. Today is the day to do the right thing and APPROVE this material revision!
My ERES Family needs a facility that will allow us to grow and sustain our quality program- now more than ever our most underserved communities deserve access to quality school options. At ERES we center our work on the needs and voices of the community. Even amidst a dual pandemic- we have continued to root ourselves in our values and commitment to serving the whole child. We have served and delivered meals weekly, provided 1:1 chromebook devices, hotspots, housing information, and gifted >$23,000 cash to food, housing and job insecure families during COVID-19. This is on top of providing daily synchronous and asynchronous instruction, differentiated small groups and 1:1 services. We had double digit growth as measured by SBAC in the 18-19 school year- and continue to be one of the top performing school options in the Fruitvale. We are a quality and thriving school family!
ERES (Aspire) needs to stay where it is and be able to expand. It is a quality school with great scholars and school staff. I have worked for OUSD for over 20 years and know that ERES has more to offer than many district schools. Should ERES close, it isn't because of lack of enrollment or poor scores, it is because OUSD wants to shut down its competition that exemplifies what a school should be. Please allow ERES to stay and expand, or offer them a larger space. Our community scholars are depending on the Oakland Board of Education to make the right decision which is for ERES to remain in their neighborhood and expand. Thank you.
I write in support of the ERES community. This school community, staff, families, and leadership have committed to providing opportunities for the Fruitvale community. Let us not let politics get in the way of serving our Oakland scholars.
Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. They deserve to preserve a school they have worked hard to build and not rip these students away from their school home!
The ERES material revision should not be approved. Their rationale for expansion includes an undocumented claim that EPIC Charter School (chartered by Alameda County, not OUSD) has agreed it would close if ERES expands, so the enrollment numbers for charter students overall would not increase. Where is such a promise documented? If it does exist, how would it be enforced? An ERES expansion would pull more financial and facility resources from OUSD, which harms OUSD stability and resources to improve district-run schools.
I am 100% in support of Aspire ERES. Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. Students deserve safe places to learn and families deserve access to high-quality school options in their communities. OUSD is dedicated to making that happen.
As an educator and Oakland taxpayer, I fully support ERES' request to raise their enrollment cap. The work they do in the Fruitvale community is incredibly valuable and so many young people have benefitted from their education there. They and the Fruitvale community deserve the opportunity to thrive and the expanded enrollment will allow that to happen.
I support ERES' request to raise their enrollment cap. This is a high-quality school with an incredible staff and student community that deserves the chance to keep working in the Fruitvale community to provide an excellent education for young people there.
As a parent at ERES, ERES Academy has changed both my life and my child's life for the better. I'm so grateful to have found ERES and for these years which have been surrounded by amazing staff members and a very welcoming community. This is why I am in full support of ERES staying open. Not only will ERES be able to support more Fruitvale families and teach students, me and my child can continue to be apart of such a high quality school.
I am a teacher at ERES Academy. Our students, families, and teachers deserve a facility that will allow us to grow and sustain long-term. We provide a high quality education to students and have had a tremendous impact on our community. Even during this pandemic, students continue to be supported academically and socio-emotionally, and are happy to log into class every single day. School closure is a disservice to our students and an inequitable outcome for hundreds of Oakland families.
Hola soy Maria abadio soy Madre de una alumna de 3 grado, tengo 3 años en Eres y estoy muy enojada por la injusticia que están haciendo con nuestra escuela, cuando Eres a demostrado ser una escuela de alta calidad y de un nivel de educación muy alto, es triste ver lo que estamos pasando con la pandemia y lo más frustrante es ver como nos sierran las puertas como que nada pasara, como madre!! siento como cuando se, que me dan su palabra para recibir apoyo, y derrepente me dan la espalda, así siento que ousd hizo con Eres, Eres merece seguir creciendo y seguir sirviendo a una comunidad más grande, como lo ha estado haciendo. Nose porque nos sierras las puertas, cuando Eres a demostrado ser una excelente escuela de alta calidad, y apesar de la pandemia, eres se adapto rápidamente con el aprendizaje virtual, es una verdadera injusticia lo que están haciendo. ¿Cual será la próxima escuela? Vasta ya!! Hasta donde más quieren llegar con las escuelas charter.!!!
Aspire ERES has developed a vibrant and thriving community of scholars and teammates, supported by their families and the community. OUSD has the ability to do the right thing for this community by allowing the school to grow and thrive, continuing to champion high-quality education for these scholars at the school they call home.
ALL children deserve a high-quality and safe space to learn and attain equitable access and opportunity. Aspire ERES deserves to continue to provide an education for students in Oakland. Now, more than ever, underserved and marginalized communities should be provided the support and access to high-quality education and resources - which is exactly what Aspire ERES provides to their students and families. Approve the material revision request to support these current and future students within the Fruitvale community.
I support ERES as a high-quality school option for our students in Oakland.
On behalf of the California Charter Schools Association, I write in support of Aspire ERES' request to expand their enrollment. ERES has been a high-quality high-demand option for Fruitvale families for over 10 years, and they request here only the ability to deliver their quality program to enough more students to be financially sustainable in a safe and reliable facility. Denying this request will result in closing this school, a move that hurts families already suffering during this challenging time. I strongly urge the OUSD to approve this Material Revision.
I am 100% in support of Aspire ERES. Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. Students deserve safe places to learn and families deserve access to high-quality school options in their communities. Students of color who live in the most poor neighborhoods should not be doscriminated against by closing schools that provide high quality education.
I am in my 4th year as the Mental Health Counselor at ERES. Our students, the vast majority of whom are ELLs from low-income households, are THRIVING: Joyful learners and creative thinkers who will grow up to be empowered, productive members of society. Our teachers and parents are committed partners in providing the best quality education for every ERES scholar. Why would you take this away from them? They are succeeding against so many odds because of this great school and the teacher/parent partnership it encourages. How does the school board reconcile wanting to create a more equitable educational system with closing down a highly functioning school that is doing great work with a marginalized population? How would you explain this to a 3rd grader? I think that right now their only way of understanding it is that some grown-ups don't really care about them. What a message to give such promising young people. Please stand up for our students and our community and save ERES.
ALL Oakland kids deserve a safe place to learn. And ALL Oakland families deserve access to high-quality school options in every neighborhood in Oakland. The families and scholars at Aspire ERES Academy are no exception. We must stop putting politics ahead of kids. OUSD has the power and authority to do what is RIGHT for Oakland kids -- approve the material revision to allow Aspire ERES to continue serving the Fruitvale community.
ERES Academy has been a beacon of hope in the Fruitvale community, providing a high-quality education option for families. The school should be celebrated for its achievements in closing the achievement gaps, and allowed to grow and serve more students. Why oppose the growth of a school that is serving its students well? Why build barriers for families to access a high-quality school in their community? We should be creating bridges that secure pathways to success for our Oakland students. My daughter, currently a high school senior, graduated from ERES Academy and we will be forever grateful for the supports she received. In her college applications, she expressed how ERES taught her the meaning of community and enlightened her passion for social justice. ERES provided the foundation and preparation that allowed her to excel in all her high school courses, making her journey to college a reality. Help make this be a reality for many more Oakland students by supporting ERES.
My name is Elizabeth Blevins and I am the Special Ed Director and work with the ERES community to ensure the site has the structures to support ALL special ed students. We have an incredibly diverse group of learners there, including those with high needs. I see ERES staff supporting high needs students with IEPs, including them meaningfully in their classrooms and ensuring that they grow and progress. ERES is a high quality school serving the Fruitvale neighborhood and deserves to be able to stay open and serve Oakland's students. Today is the day to do the right thing and APPROVE this material revision!
My ERES Family needs a facility that will allow us to grow and sustain our quality program- now more than ever our most underserved communities deserve access to quality school options. At ERES we center our work on the needs and voices of the community. Even amidst a dual pandemic- we have continued to root ourselves in our values and commitment to serving the whole child. We have served and delivered meals weekly, provided 1:1 chromebook devices, hotspots, housing information, and gifted >$23,000 cash to food, housing and job insecure families during COVID-19. This is on top of providing daily synchronous and asynchronous instruction, differentiated small groups and 1:1 services. We had double digit growth as measured by SBAC in the 18-19 school year- and continue to be one of the top performing school options in the Fruitvale. We are a quality and thriving school family!
ERES (Aspire) needs to stay where it is and be able to expand. It is a quality school with great scholars and school staff. I have worked for OUSD for over 20 years and know that ERES has more to offer than many district schools. Should ERES close, it isn't because of lack of enrollment or poor scores, it is because OUSD wants to shut down its competition that exemplifies what a school should be. Please allow ERES to stay and expand, or offer them a larger space. Our community scholars are depending on the Oakland Board of Education to make the right decision which is for ERES to remain in their neighborhood and expand. Thank you.
I write in support of the ERES community. This school community, staff, families, and leadership have committed to providing opportunities for the Fruitvale community. Let us not let politics get in the way of serving our Oakland scholars.
Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. They deserve to preserve a school they have worked hard to build and not rip these students away from their school home!
The ERES material revision should not be approved. Their rationale for expansion includes an undocumented claim that EPIC Charter School (chartered by Alameda County, not OUSD) has agreed it would close if ERES expands, so the enrollment numbers for charter students overall would not increase. Where is such a promise documented? If it does exist, how would it be enforced? An ERES expansion would pull more financial and facility resources from OUSD, which harms OUSD stability and resources to improve district-run schools.
I am 100% in support of Aspire ERES. Aspire ERES deserves the opportunity to continue providing a high-quality education for scholars in Oakland. Students deserve safe places to learn and families deserve access to high-quality school options in their communities. OUSD is dedicated to making that happen.
As an educator and Oakland taxpayer, I fully support ERES' request to raise their enrollment cap. The work they do in the Fruitvale community is incredibly valuable and so many young people have benefitted from their education there. They and the Fruitvale community deserve the opportunity to thrive and the expanded enrollment will allow that to happen.
I support ERES' request to raise their enrollment cap. This is a high-quality school with an incredible staff and student community that deserves the chance to keep working in the Fruitvale community to provide an excellent education for young people there.